Service for America: Cyber Talent is Everywhere and Opportunity Should Be Too

October 18, 2024

By Assistant National Cyber Director Seeyew Mo

The launch of the Service for America campaign this September has opened Americans’ minds about the promise and possibilities of a good-paying, meaningful career in cyber. In this past six weeks, the Biden-Harris Administration engaged with thousands of students, job seekers, academics, employers, and community leaders to make sure anyone who desires a career in cyber has access to training and tools they need to begin their journey.

To build on this momentum, we must be more intentional, work harder, and find new ways to innovate together – through close partnerships between the government and private sector – to connect these service-minded Americans, whether they have college degrees or not, to the almost half a million cyber roles open right now, all of which are critical to our national security and economic prosperity. 

And we need your help! We need to make sure employers are reaching people where they dream, dream of a career in cyber. Regardless of their background, whether or not they have a four-year degree, without considering if they’re from a big city or small town, and regardless of if they were first trained in IT or cyber or if they came to us later. Their dream to work in cyber could be their first career or their next opportunity for a good-paying, meaningful job.

Building the Pipeline to Prosperity

When I visited the Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center (PCC) with White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. a few weeks ago, I was reminded that this country is full of capable, determined, talented people ready to serve their country through a cyber career.

In Hermitage, Pennsylvania, PCC is helping the community live a comeback story by creating pathways into a new phase of service for Americans who are determined to serve, who can bring so much to the fight to defend cyberspace. Opportunities like those at PCC ensure folks have a pathway to prosperity that can lead to generational wealth.

However, we know from talking to people across the country that there is a mismatch that is preventing the right talent from finding its way into the right roles. Skilled individuals are having trouble finding work, and employers are struggling to fill open positions.

Through the Service for America campaign, the Biden-Harris Administration is working to address that mismatch, helping job seekers and employers connect more effectively.

To job seekers: We see you, and we want to make it easier to find jobs that match your skills and interests. Earlier this week, USAJOBS launched a new tool, Career Explorer, which uses a short survey to learn more about you, then match you with roles in the Federal government that align to your interests. We hope that innovations like this one can help you take the first step on your path and reach – or find – your dream.

To the employers looking for talent: we know that you have a need for skilled, eager individuals who are looking to make a difference. Cyber touches every sector and industry, and with so many open positions, competition is fierce to fill your critical roles. We want to help you fill these jobs and compete for the very best talent.

Clearly, many of the traditional hiring practices are falling short and are leaving so much untapped talent on the table. That means we need to innovate, put new ideas into action, and fill those roles that are so critical to your mission or business needs.

In the past, hiring for cyber has often focused on finding those rare individuals who “check all the boxes” – deep technical knowledge, five or more years of experience, maybe an advanced degree. These do-it-all individuals are in short supply, leaving everyone competing for a small pool of talent.

This requires a mindset shift and innovation.

We need to think less about finding one or two people who can do it all, and instead think about building a team with complementary skill sets and levels of experience who can collectively get the job done. This means filling entry-level roles with individuals that have foundational cyber skills – with perhaps less practical experience – and continuing to develop and upskill talent to create a workforce with a diverse skillsets to meet all your critical organizational needs.

In short, we need a skills-based hiring approach. Practically speaking, this means removing degree requirements and instead focusing on the specific skills or competencies a job candidate needs to be able to fill a role, then assessing applicants based on their ability to meet these needs, regardless of where they learned their skills.

Earlier this month, I was along for the ride when Director Coker and Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management Rob Shriver visited the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-Whitewater). The university was focused on building cybersecurity into the curriculum of all kinds of majors: information technology, management, and even healthcare.

We met with students from various majors and had the opportunity to attend their fall career fair. The fair was a landmark Service for America event where five federal agencies were recruiting alongside more than 100 other employers. They were all interested in the capable students from UW-Whitewater joining their ranks through internships, apprenticeships, and full-time employment after graduation.

Like Hermitage, Whitewater isn’t what you would traditionally think of as a technology hub. It is a small college town with a campus that sits snuggly between farms and boasts a vibrant student population. But the folks in Whitewater recognize that cyber is everywhere, impacting every sector and industry, and they have long been innovating to meet the needs of their community. Some employers in the region are hiring students part-time to complement their small full-time cyber workforce. This model not only provides an on-ramp for entry-level talent but also helps companies meet their most immediate needs. 

That’s why I am urging all employers to collaborate with us to meet this challenge. I encourage you to think innovatively about your hiring practices and identify policies or processes that may be unnecessarily limiting your candidate pool. Removing barriers and opening up opportunities to people from all backgrounds and communities will help you build the best team and better defend your systems, contributing to the national security and economic prosperity of our country.

We are grateful to the many private sector companies and nonprofits that have joined us in this effort and are working to build a workforce that will protect their systems, data and customers and ultimately better protect our nation. Today, we are excited to announce new commitments from the following partners:

Skills-Based Hiring Commitments

CyberVets.org
Cybervets.org, a Skillbridge training program that helps Veterans transition into the cybersecurity field through daily problem-based hands-on learning and mentorship commits to train up to 30 Veterans in 2025 by launching a new Skillbridge cohort every two months.  Cybervets.org will equip 3 – 5 Veterans per cohort with a real work cybersecurity skill set while also working to ensure a good paying, meaningful job in cyber that still provides an opportunity to serve.

Forge Institute
Forge Institute, an Arkansas based provider of cyber educational and economic opportunities for underserved individuals across the nation, commits to working with government and employer stakeholders to identify and train 1,000 cyber defenders, doubling the size of their DoD SkillBridge program from 50 to 100 military service members per year, and hiring at least 300 cyber professionals within the next five years.

George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) commits to expand its cyber clinic to 100 cybersecurity apprentices annually over the next 5 years. The clinic is a collaboration between Howard University, the National Security Institute’s Cyber and Tech Center at GMU and Northern Virginia Community College, and has support from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. GMU also commits to extending and expanding experiential cyber events such as its CyberSlam high school program, PatriotHacks hackathon for college students and its Clearance Ready Program that prepares 300 students annually for the security clearance process.

Mattermost
Mattermost, a technology company delivering collaboration and workflow tools to defense, security and intelligence teams commits to onboard 50 new cybersecurity and DevSecOps professionals over the next three years. Partnering with educational institutions and workforce development programs, Mattermost is focused on recruiting and skilling talent to address critical national security needs. As part of this initiative, Mattermost is investing in specialized training, offering scholarships, and providing hands-on experience through internships and job placements.

Metro State University
Metro State University commits to train 40 students a year as part of its cyber clinic internship programs in partnership with Minnesota IT services. By operating a community-partnership focused cybersecurity operations center, the university provides students with hands-on experience in defending against real-world cyber threats while supporting local organizations. Additionally, Metro State commits to engage in Small Business Innovation Research/Tech Transfer partnerships to develop research opportunities for students and faculty in cybersecurity projects.

National Cryptologic Foundation
The National Cryptologic Foundation (NCF) commits to initiating and maintaining partnerships with industry leaders to secure at least 10 paid internships and skills-based learning opportunities for high school students from across the country per year. These internships will provide students with valuable real-world experience through on-the-job training, mentorships, and resources that enhance their career readiness in the cybersecurity field.

Experiential Learning and Other Commitments

Baruch College – City University of New York
Baruch College of the City University of New York (Baruch) commits to growing its newly launched computer science program enrollment to at least 200 students within the next two years while offering experiential learning opportunities and career preparation for the tech sector through a $1.5M grant from the New York City 2XTech program.  Baruch also commits to create a vibrant cross-disciplinary academic experience for students by incorporating cyber policy to existing proficiencies in cybersecurity and cyber ethics in a new data science research cluster.

College Board
College Board commits to educating up to 100,000 students in cybersecurity annually with its new career-focused program, Career Kickstart. Career Kickstart’s cybersecurity pathway courses provide hands on, experiential learning and with a goal to prepare students for a career, whether they are heading to two- or four-year colleges, technical schools, or directly to the workforce.

Cyber Security Consulting Ops
Cyber Security Consulting Ops, a minority owned company based in New Jersey, is committed to working with colleges, high schools, and nonprofit organizations to host 10 or more cohorts for at least 225 students each year for the next five years. The cohorts provide real-world, hands-on experience and cyber certifications in high-tech labs and target African American students from underserved communities. Cyber Security Consulting Ops also will provide resume coaching and will continue to work with the students to keep their cyber skills sharp until they become employed.

The Cyber Security Intellects
The Cyber Security Intellects (TCSI), a Los Angeles-based charitable organization that focuses on creating pop culture-infused cybersecurity content, commits to fostering a skilled, inclusive workforce by awarding $5,000 in scholarships and delivering hands-on skills-based cybersecurity education to at least 150 students nationwide over the next 3 years.

Cyberjutsu
Cyberjutsu, a national non-profit with an international presence is a cybersecurity community that supports women, girls and minorities entering and advancing in cybersecurity. Cyberjutsu commits to training 500 women, girls and minorities in cybersecurity through hands-on workshops and training courses, study groups, leadership training, cyber competitions, Cyberjutsu Day and through partner events over the next year.

Public Sector Solutions Group (PS2G)
PS2G commits to provide hands on training for at least 25 diverse individuals annually by operating the Walter Reed Infrastructure Academy (WRIA), a community-based Cyber Security training program dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals with limited access to traditional workforce pathways through hands-on, workplace training to gain skill-based certifications and workforce training. Each WRIA cohort will also gain exposure to corporations for practical experience, and PS2G will work closely with industry partners to arrange internships during and following the cohort.

Seccuri
Seccuri, a global cybersecurity skills and talent platform, commits to supporting the hire of one million cybersecurity professionals in the next five years. Securri’s platform evaluates an individual based on experiences, expertise, and skills assessments and recommends the most appropriate cybersecurity career paths, training and education to close skills gaps. It also connects the individuals to job positions, internships, and apprenticeships they match to the most and helps companies and individuals re-skill and up-skill their digital and cyber talent.

Tiro Security
Tiro Security, a Cybersecurity Staffing and Consulting firm, is committed to helping companies build creative programs that open up more entry-level Cyber opportunities by offering at least ten free consultations monthly to help companies develop an entry-level cyber hiring program. As part of this program, Tiro commits to introduce companies to nonprofits promoting diversity within the industry and National Centers for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity.

We are also excited to share updates from partners who have fulfilled their commitments to strengthen our country’s cyber workforce:

Advocacy Blueprints & Crowdstrike
As committed during the 2023 Black History Month White House Event, Advocacy Blueprints and CrowdStrike, in collaboration with the POPVOX Foundation, launched the Cyber Policy Leadership Institute to grow leadership in cyber policy by focusing on the untapped talent-rich environments to provide inclusive learning, mentorship, and career opportunities. The first cohort completed in May 2024, with 8 diverse students from cyber and policy backgrounds; 100% of the graduates secured internships, fellowships, or jobs for the summer and fall, including positions with CrowdStrike, the US Department of Commerce, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The next cohort is scheduled to start in early 2025.

Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII)
CyManII has met their commitment made in October 2023, by providing experiential training on industrial control system cybersecurity over 15,000 people over the past year and have plans to expand to hundreds of thousands more over the next few years.

IBM
IBM has met the commitment to provide cybersecurity skills to more than 150,000 people. This training was achieved through programs such as IBM SkillsBuild, a free education program aimed at increasing access to technology education. To meet this goal, IBM has collaborated with 20 HBCUs across 11 states to co-create Cybersecurity Leadership Centers, helping to create talent for employers and opportunities for students.  Participating schools have access to coursework, lectures, immersive hand on training experiences, certifications, IBM Cloud-hosted software, and professional development resources, all at no cost to them.

Lightcast
Lightcast has fulfilled its commitment, made in 2023, to develop a “Skills-Based Hiring Toolkit.” The toolkit, released in June 2024, provides a skills-based maturity model for businesses to baseline where they are in terms of their skills initiatives and determine their desired future state for skills-based hiring maturity. Lightcast also started delivery of the “Lightcast Quarterly Cybersecurity Talent Report,” providing a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the cyber labor market on a quarterly basis.